'/ 


^p 


f  3&. 


GIFT  OF 


2  o 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


DEDICATION  OF  THE  LIBRARY,  1912 


THE  LIBRARY 
JOHN  GALEN  HOWARD 

RED  LETTER  ANNALS  OF  THE  LIBRARY 
JOSEPH  C.  ROWELL 

ADDRESSES  AT  THE  DEDICATION  OF  THE  DOE 
LIBRARY  BUILDING 

JOSEPH  C.  ROWELL 

HERBERT  PUTNAM 

LORING  B.  DOE 

[Reprint  from  the  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  CHRONICLE  Vol.  XIV,  No.  3] 


THE  LIBRARY 


JOHN  GALEN  HOWARD 


To  begin  with  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  on  the  general 
subject  of  libraries  as  the  problem  presents  itself  to  the 
architect.  I  shall  then  outline  the  solution  of  the  problem 
offered  by  the  University  Library  at  Berkeley. 

Libraries,  speaking  largely,  are  of  two  types. — the 
single  room  structure  in  which  books  and  reader-  are 
assembled  in  the  same  apartment ;  and  the  complex  scheme, 
in  which  readers  and  books  are  separately  administered. 
The  former  is  the  ancient,  the  primitive  type;  the  latter 
is  the  up-to-date,  the  developed  type.  The  first  lends  itself 
to  intimacy,  charm,  freedom;  the  second,  to  formality, 
economy  of  administration,  discipline. 

The  single-room  plan  is  suitable  for  the  comparatively 
small  library  only.  In  proportion  as  the  establishment  in- 
creases in  size,  either  as  to  number  of  books  or  as  to  number 
of  users,  this  plan  tends  to  cut  off  the  head  of  its  own  usable- 
ness.  It  becomes  unwieldly  and  out  of  human  scale.  It 
loses  its  specific  qualities  of  intimacy  and  charm,  and  for 
the  freedom  which  is  really  possible,  or  at  any  rate  enjoy- 
able, only  within  narrow  compass,  substitutes  an  imprison- 
ment of  grandeur.  To  sit  comfortably  at  a  secluded  desk 
with  all  the  books  one  needs  close  serried  by  one,  best  of  all 
within  easy  reach  on  the  shelves  as  one  sits,  without  a  call 
to  rise,  yet  with  ample  elbow-room  flat  around  for  disposing 
open  volumes  which  are  actually  in  hand, — to  be  encysted 
within  a  tiny  chamber  walled  with  books,  in  diameter  two 
hand-reaches,  in  height  a  sitting  and  a  reach, — this  is  ye 


243063 


ideal  library  of  ye  perfect  book-worm.  And  truth  to  say 
the  closer  a  library  building  approximates  such  conditions 
for  each  and  all  of  its  users,  the  nearer  it  comes  to  ful- 
filling its  essential  purpose,  which  is  and  was  and  ever  shall 
be  not  merely  to  house  books,  but  to  house  books  for  use. 
Merely  to  house  them  is  to  make  a  warehouse  or  a  museum. 

Of  course  the  second  type,  the  complex  plan,  of  books 
and  users  separate,  is  the  result  of  ages  of  evolution  from 
the  prototype.  The  single  cell  expands  till  the  circulation 
of  its  blood  (its  books)  becomes  unviably  sluggish,  when 
the  mother  cell  breaks  up  into  a  series  of  more  or  less 
vitally  connected  segments  (or  alcoves)  each  capable  of 
sustaining  individual  life  if  cast  adrift.  Indeed  the  ten- 
dency is  toward  segmentary  detachment,  isolation  and  utter 
divorce  of  constituent  parts  which  should  be  interdependent. 
Most  old  libraries  have  gone  through  the  process  of  dry 
segmental  accretion;  and  many  are  still  in  the  segmentary 
or  alcove  stage. 

It  is  on  reaching  this  point  of  its  development  that  a 
library  is  ripe  for  a  thorough-going  reorganization,  the  pur- 
pose of  which  is  to  make,  out  of  a  congeries  of  many  small 
semi-detached  elements,  an  orderly  and  organic  whole, — 
with  a  place  for  everything  and  everything  in  its  place. 
The  large  library,  which  has  grown  from  a  small  one,  is 
obliged  to  revolutionize  its  system  and  achieve  organic  unity 
if  it  hopes  to  realize  its  full  measure  of  usefulness;  for  it 
can  accomplish  this  only  by  placing  itself  unmistakably 
in  the  category  of  higher  organisms. 

So  far  as  can  be  made  out  one  living  cell  is  much  like 
another;  but  of  the  genus  homo  erectus  the  individuals  are 
nothing  if  not  variant.  So  with  libraries.  An  alcove  is  an 
alcove  whether  it  be  in  the  Bodleian  or  at  Cornell ;  but  the 
modern  family  of  bibliotheca  erecta  organica  comprises 
members  as  widely  different  as  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale 
in  Paris,  the  British  Museum  in  London,  the  Astor,  Tilden, 
and  Lenox  Foundations  in  New  York,  the  Public  Library 
in  Boston,  the  Library  of  Congress  in  Washington,  and 


many  others  scarcely  less  important,  and  as  unlike  these, 
as  these  are  unlike  each  other.  Furthermore  within  the 
great  group  of  large  libraries  organically  planned  there  is, 
between  the  strictly  public  libraries  and  the  important 
University  libraries,  a  broad  line  of  cleavage,  answering 
loosely  to  the  characteristic  divergence  of  their  require- 
ments, though  neither  type  has  as  yet  become  fixed  and 
recognized  even  to  the  extent  of  ruling  out  of  the  field  of 
study,  a  priori,  any  scheme  which  fits  the  site,  and  on  the 
whole  seems  to  stand  some  chance  of  filling  the  bill  of  a 
good  working  library,  whether  for  the  general  or  for  a  uni- 
versity public.  It  is  as  much  as  can  be  said  at  present  that 
the  tendency  in  large  public  libraries  is  to  seek  for  more 
absolute  separation  of  readers  and  books,  with  the  accom- 
panying greater  formality  and  elaborateness  of  administra- 
tion; while  the  more  closely  knit  and  more  exactly  defined 
character  of  the  university  community  indicates  for  its 
library  a  greater  intimacy  and,  at  any  rate  for  a  consider- 
able number  of  readers,  an  elimination  of  administrative 
red-tape, — that  is  to  say  an  attempt  to  secure  as  many  of 
the  advantages  of  the  one-cell,  or  alcove,  idea  as  is  possible 
without  sacrificing  the  essentially  organic  arrangement  and 
administration  of  the  building  as  a  whole.  The  public 
library  tends  to  emphasize  administration,  and  the  loaning- 
out  of  books, — the  university  library,  book-use  and  the  de- 
lights of  it  at  home,  that  is  in  the  books'  own  home.  And 
this  is  in  harmony  with  the  fitness  of  things ;  for  the  great 
public  is  mostly  a  crowd  of  strangers,  while  the  university 
is,  by  comparison,  a  family  party. 

The  users  of  any  large  library  fall  naturally  into  two 
groups, — those  who  must  be  taken  care  of,  and  those  who 
may  be  allowed  to  take  care  of  themselves.  According  as 
these  two  groups  vary  in  proportion  one  to  the  other,  more 
or  fewer  readers  must  be  accommodated  in  the  general 
supervised  reading-room  or  rooms,  more  or  less  space  should 
be  set  apart  for  private,  secluded,  unsupervised  special 
reading-  or  work-rooms,  and  more  or  fewer  persons  may 


be  admitted  to  browse  or  toil  or  listless  bask  in  the  lush 
meadow  of  the  book-stack.  Generally  speaking  the  propor- 
tion of  free  users,  those  who  need  no  supervision  and  may 
be  admitted  to  almost  unlimited  privilege  within  the  insti- 
tution, is  greater  in  the  case  of  a  university  than  in  a  public 
library.  Moreover  the  university  need  of  seminar-rooms  in 
the  library  is  being  constantly  more  keenly  felt  and  more 
obstinately  insisted  on.  There  is  here  therefore  a  strong 
tendency  to  assign  ever  larger  space  for  semi-private  read- 
ing- or  working-rooms  supplementary  to  the  main  super- 
vised reading-room.  Add  to  this,  in  many  universities,  as 
at  Berkeley,  the  need  of  ample  study-rooms  for  students 
at  large  who  bring  their  own  equipment  of  text-books  for 
an  hour  or  two  of  study  between  recitations  and  lectures 
and  may  not  call  for  service  from  the  stack  at  all.  These 
adjuncts  of  the  university  library  correspond  measurably 
with  the  newspaper  and  magazine  rooms  of  the  public 
library.  The  characteristic  differences  of  the  two  sub- 
types are  thus  seen  to  be  somewhat  intangible  and  inexact 
even  though  obvious  in  principle. 

The  relative  plan  area  required  for  reading-rooms  and 
book-stacks  having  been  approximately  fixed  by  the  deter- 
mination of  the  number  of  books  to  be  housed  and  of  readers 
to  be  served,  the  next  point  of  primary  importance  is  to 
secure  the  greatest  possible  convenience  and  rapidity  of 
service  between  the  stack  and  all  parts  of  the  reading  space, 
whether  general  or  semi-private.  This  result  has  been 
sought  in  a  variety  of  ways,  in  different  libraries,  of  which 
the  three  following  may  be  taken  as  fairly  typical. 

In  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  in  Paris  the  main  read- 
ing-room immediately  adjoins  the  book-stack,  into  which  it 
opens.  The  stack  room  is  a  square  court  lighted  entirely 
from  above.  Except  for  an  open  alley  down  the  center, 
the  entire  space,  at  intervals  of  about  five  feet  on  centers, 
is  packed  from  ground  to  roof  with  books.  At  intervals 
of  about  seven  feet  in  height  iron  gratings  form  floors, 
which  are  reached  by  numerous  light  metal  stairs.  The 


entire  space  is  admirably  lighted,  the  rays  traversing  the 
thin  meshes  of  the  gratings  practically  without  interrup- 
tion, and  shedding  an  agreeable  diffused  light  everywhere. 
The  reading-room  is  of  about  the  same  area  as  the  stack, 
and  is  lighted  by  nine  rather  small  circular  overhead  lights, 
and  by  three  large  round-headed  windows  placed  high  on 
the  north  side.  The  light  here  also  is  beyond  criticism. 
The  service  between  the  stack  and  the  reading  room  could 
not  well  be  less  troublesome. 

In  the  Library  of  Congress  at  Washington  the  reading- 
room,  octagonal  in  shape,  is  in  the  center  of  the  building, 
surrounded  (or  eventually  to  be  surrounded  as  originally 
planned),  by  radiating  stacks.  These  are  each  rather  long 
and  narrow,  and  lighted  from  the  sides  by  windows  nearly 
the  width  of  the  aisles  between  the  book  cases.  The  natural 
lighting  leaves  much  to  be  desired,  and  electricity  is  largely 
used.  The  reading-room  is  lighted  by  eight  large  arched 
windows  very  high  above  the  floor,  close  under  the  great 
dome  by  which  the  room  is  ceiled.  The  lighting  here  is 
good  though  all  readers  face  the  light,  the  disadvantage 
of  this  being  minimized  by  the  height  at  which  the  windows 
are  placed.  The  book  service  from  the  stacks  is  by  means 
of  exceedingly  ingenious  mechanical  carriers,  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  an  endless  chain  constantly  in  motion,  which  runs 
vertically  through  the  center  of  the  stacks,  horizontally 
from  beneath  the  center  of  the  stacks  to  a  point  beneath 
the  center  of  the  reading-room,  and  thence  vertically  to 
the  delivery  desk,  which  is  thus  in  the  middle  of  the  reading- 
room  floor.  The  service  seems  to  give  satisfaction,  though 
it  must,  evidently,  be  at  considerable  expense,  both  in  money 
and  in  reading-room  space  given  up  to  the  delivery  desk 
and  its  approaches. 

In  the  New  York  Public  Library  the  main  reading-room 
is  placed  directly  above  the  stacks,  at  the  top  of  the  build- 
ing, being  reached  by  numerous  stairs  and  elevators.  The 
building  has  only  recently  come  into  use  and  there  is  some 
diversity  of  opinion  as  to  whether  the  lighting  is  altogether 


satisfactory.  The  room  is  long  in  a  north-south  direction, 
with  a  range  of  high  arched  windows  on  the  west,  and  a 
similar  range  on  the  east  interrupted  by  the  central  body 
of  the  building.  No  light  is  admitted  from  above,  and  the 
ceiling  is  decorated  in  deep  colors  so  that  there  is  less  diffu- 
sion of  the  side  light  than  would  otherwise  be  the  case.  The 
stack,  placed  as  it  is  directly  below  the  reading-room,  can 
of  course  be  lighted  only  from  the  sides.  As  the  space 
is  unusually  wide  for  a  book  stack,  in  order  to  give  suf- 
ficient width  for  the  reading-room  above,  it  is  necessary 
to  use  electricity  to  a  large  extent.  The  book  service  is  by 
means  of  lifts  or  mechanical  carriers. 

Experience  in  a  multitude  of  instances  seems  to  indicate 
that  the  best  light  for  a  reading-room  is  from  the  north, 
supplemented  by  some  light  from  above,  in  order  to  give 
diffusion;  a  ray  of  sun  from  east  and  west  may  be  per- 
mitted for  cheer  but  must  be  regulated  and  should  not  be 
depended  upon.  What  is  the  best  lighting  for  stacks  is 
more  uncertain  than  for  reading-rooms.  Fortunately  the 
problem  is  less  important.  There  are  those  who  advocate 
artificial  light  only  for  stacks;  but  daylight  is  surely  no 
disadvantage.  Top-light  with  glass  floors  is  probably  the 
best,  so  far  as  the  light  itself  is  concerned,  providing  it  can 
be  properly  controlled,  and  the  disadvantage  of  heat  from 
direct  overhead  rays  obviated. 

So  much  for  libraries  in  general.  Now  for  the  library 
of  the  University  of  California.  Let  me  briefly  outline  the 
programme  as  it  presented  itself,  combining  as  it  did  nearly 
all  of  the  problems  which  are  ever  likely  to  present  them- 
selves in  library  planning. 

First  it  was  to  be  planned  to  house,  in  the  main  book- 
stack,  a  million  volumes, — a  large  library;  then  it  was  to 
accommodate  five  hundred  readers  or  more  in  supervised 
reading-rooms,  and  provide  in  addition  for  an  exception- 
ally large  number  of  semi-private  reading  rooms  or  sem- 
inars; furthermore  the  greatest  possible  intimacy  of  use 
by  faculty  and  privileged  students  was  desired,  yet  under 


such  conditions  that  this  intimacy  itself  could  be  controlled, 
or,  if  desired,  withdrawn.  All  these  requirements  were  to 
be  met  with  a  minimum  of  administrative  force,  and  at  a 
minimum  cost  of  construction;  and  the  building  was  more- 
over to  be  erected  in  two  approximately  equal  installments. 
The  site  was  difficult  on  account  of  its  steep  and  irregular 
slope;  and  the  relation  of  the  library  to  the  many  other 
buildings  of  the  group  of  which  it  was  to  form  a  part 
necessarily  influenced  the  design. 

The  type  of  arrangement  which  was  first  considered  was 
a  T  shaped  plan  of  stack,  with  two  nearly  square  reading- 
rooms  in  the  armpits  of  the  T,  lighted  from  above  and 
surrounded,  on  the  sides  opposite  the  stack,  by  seminars. 
Objections  to  this  scheme  were,  among  others,  the  diffuse- 
ness  and  inconvenience  of  the  stack;  the  lighting  of  the 
reading-rooms  only  from  above  (generally  conceded  to  be 
the  worst  for  reading)  ;  and  the  isolation  of  the  seminars 
from  the  stack.  After  many  other  schemes  had  been  tried 
and  found  wanting,  the  plan  of  the  present  building  was 
adopted,  as  giving  the  best  practicable  solution.  The  con- 
trolling idea  of  this  plan  is  that  the  stack  is  the  heart  of 
the  organism,  from  which  radiates  the  life-blood  of  books 
to  all  the  readers.  The  stack  is  therefore  placed  in  the 
center  of  the  structure,  in  a  court  one  hundred  feet  square, 
nine  (or,  perhaps,  in  the  future,  ten)  stack  stories  in 
height  (I  am  speaking  of  the  completed  building),  and 
lighted  from  above.  The  stack  court  is  surrounded  by  a 
corridor,  from  which  open  a  series  of  reading-rooms  which 
form  a  chain  entirely  round  the  building.  The  main  read- 
ing-room takes  up  the  whole  length  of  the  north  front,  on 
the  second  story,  and  is  lighted  chiefly  by  high  north  win- 
dows, supplemented  by  a  single  great  arched  window  on 
the  east  and  west  ends,  and  by  three  ceiling  lights.  The 
floor  of  the  main  reading-room  is  on  a  level  with  the  fifth 
stack  story, — that  is,  the  center  of  gravity  of  the  books 
in  the  stack,  which  are  conveyed  to  this  level  in  electric 
lifts.  The  corridor  between  the  stack  and  the  main  reading- 


10 


room  is  expanded  into  a  spacious  delivery-room,  from  which 
stairs  descend  to  the  entrance.  On  the  ground  floor,  under 
the  main  reading-room,  are  two  special  reading-  or  study- 
rooms,  lighted  like  the  rooms  above,  from  the  north;  these 
rooms  are  at}out  equally  divided  into  stack-space  and  read- 
ing-space; the  latter,  of  course,  adjoining  the  north  win- 
dows. The  east,  south,  and  west  fronts  of  the  building  give 
a  continuous  range  of  seminars  and  studies  of  varied  sizes 
outside  the  corridor  which  surrounds  the  stack  court.  The 
basement  is  devoted  to  packing-  and  work-rooms,  etc.,  with 
a  service  entrance  from  the  rear.  Owing  to  a  lack  of 
funds,  only  a  little  more  than  half  of  the  library  has  thus 
far  been  built.  Eventually  there  will  be  two  more  stories 
of  seminars  round  the  court,  the  reading-room,  and  delivery- 
room  now  running  through  the  height  of  these  two  future 
stories.  At  present,  too,  only  the  lower  portion  of  the 
north  half  of  the  stack  is  in  place. 

A  few  data  as  to  dimensions  and  materials  may  be 
interesting  and  valuable  as  a  matter  of  record  in  this  con- 
nection. The  main  front  of  the  building  measures  224  feet 
and  6  inches  in  length,  and  is  60  feet  in  height  to  the  top 
of  the  cornice;  from  front  to  rear  is  262  feet.  The  main 
reading-room  is  53  feet  by  210  feet  in  size,  and  45  feet  in 
height  from  the  floor  to  the  highest  point  of  the  elliptical 
barrel  vault  with  which  the  room  is  ceiled.  The  two  large 
ground-floor  reading-rooms  are  each  61  feet  by  88  feet  in 
plan  and  14  feet  high  in  the  clear;  a  space  35  feet  in 
width  nearest  the  windows  is  reserved  for  reading  and 
working,  the  rear  portions  of  the  rooms  being  given  up  to 
special  stacks.  The  catalogue  and  delivery-room  is  28  feet 
by  134  feet,  and  28  feet  high,  lighted  from  above.  The 
corridors  are,  in  general,  13  feet  wide.  The  seminars,  of 
various  widths,  are  31  feet  deep  from  window  to  corridor 
wall,  and  12  feet  high  in  the  clear,  the  wide  windows 
coming  quite  to  the  ceiling  and  giving  perfect  light  through- 
out. The  exterior  of  the  building  is  of  white  granite  from 
Raymond,  California.  The  roofs  are  red  "Mission"  tile 


11 


with  copper  cresting,  gutters,  etc.  Plate  glass  is  used 
throughout.  All  floors  are  covered  with  the  heaviest  battle- 
ship linoleum.  The  building  is  steel-framed  and  fireproof 
of  the  highest  class,  all  doors,  sashes  and  trim  stacks  and 
book-cases  being  of  metal.  The  cost  of  the  building  to  date 
is  $698,278.16,  not  including  furniture  and  other  fittings. 

Just  a  word  on  the  "style"  of  the  building, — classic, 
of  course,  in  a  general  way,  as  behooves  the  House  of  Books 
of  a  great  modern  institution  of  learning.  The  frontispiece 
of  the  structure,  containing  the  main  reading-room,  is  de- 
veloped as  the  blossom  of  the  library;  its  efflorescence, 
typifying  dissemination,  expressed  by  the  Corinthian  order 
of  the  exterior.  The  capitals  are  of  half-opened  acanthus 
fronds,  from  among  which  serpents  (symbol  of  Athene), 
rise  and  coil  to  uphold  an  open  book.  For  the  rest,  the 
building  derives  rather  from  Ionic  tradition  (in  deference 
to  Athene's  headship  of  Ionic  states),  the  fundamental  feel- 
ing of  such  more  restrained  design  being  interwoven  with 
the  richer  Corinthian,  in  some  such  fashion  as  Ictinus 
mingled  an  Ionic  strain  with  the  Doric  of  his  Parthenon, 
or  imagined  the  earliest  Corinthian  to  complete  the  Ionic 
colonnade  at  Bassae.  The  Ionic  lines  of  the  portions  of  our 
structure  which  are  yet  to  be,  play  through  the  flower-like 
order  of  the  front  and  themselves  emerge  and  fully  bloom 
only  in  the  two  colonnettes  which  surmount  the  central 
portal. 


12 


RED  LETTER  ANNALS  OF  THE  LIBRARY 


J.    C.    EOWELL 


In  its  earlier  period  the  history  of  the  library  of  the 
University  of  California  closely  resembles  that  of  other  col- 
legiate collections.     There  is  the  same  scantiness  of  books, 
and  of  means  for  their  purchase ;  it  does  not  in  any  appre- 
ciable degree  meet  the  needs  of  the  academic  community, 
and  consequently  it  is  a  quiet,  and  rather  unfrequented 
place.    But  gradually  the  collection  grows,  with  the  attrac- 
tive power  of  a  magnet,  until  the  services  of  a  regular  libra- 
rian become^  necessary.     He  familiarizes  himself  with  his 
material;  by  classification  he  evolves  order  out  of  chaos, 
catalogs,  indexes  the  meaty  books,  begs  and  borrows,  and 
gradually  develops  a  "working"  collection  that  invites  and 
in  some  measure  satisfies  the  inquirer.    Then  follow  at  inter- 
vals gifts  of  books  and  money,  endowments  and  bequests; 
but,  generally,  the  resources  of  the  library  fail  to  keep  pace 
with  the  progressively  larger  and  urgent  demands  of  an 
expanding  university. 

In  1868  the  College  of  California  transferred  to  the 
University  its  collection  of  books  numbering  1036  volumes, 
about  one  half  of  which  were  of  a  religious  nature,  pre- 
sented by  Rev.  Leyi  Hart  (of  Plymouth,  Mass.).  The  other 
portion  was  contributed  principally  by  the  college  in- 
structors. 

These,  together  with  later  accessions,  were  located  in 
the  top  story  of  Brayton  Hall — one  of  the  college  buildings 
in  12th  street,  Oakland. 


13 

In  1870  the  Regents  purchased  the  rather  small,  but 
valuable,  collection  by  Alexander  S.  Taylor  of  Voyages 
and  Californiana,  some  of  which  are  not  duplicated  in  the 
great  Bancroft  library. 

The  gift  in  1871  of  a  modern  encyclopedia  and  numer- 
ous standard  works  of  history  and  literature,  by  Edmond 
L.  Goold,  was  the  first  noteworthy  one  in  our  history.  In 
this  manner  he  gracefully  returned  a  fee  of  $500  paid  him 
by  the  Regents  for  legal  services. 

From  the  date  of  his  arrival  in  1872  President  D.  C. 
Oilman  took  a  very  active  interest  in  the  library,  and  sev- 
eral thousand  volumes  were  given  by  him  and  by  his  friends 
on  Atlantic  and  Pacific  shores.  He  had  been  a  successful 
librarian,  and  realized  more  fully  than  others  the  import- 
ance of  a  library  in  educational  work. 

In  1873  a  little  suggestion  by  President  Gilman  in  the 
daily  press  brought  a  check  of  $2000  from  Michael  Reese, 
the  banker,  to  secure  the  library  on  economics  and  politics 
of  Prof.  Francis  Lieber  of  Columbia  College.  On  Dr.  Oil- 
man's initiative  the  legislature  appropriated  $4,800  for  the 
purchase  of  books. 

In  1873  also  was  received  by  bequest  the  private  library 
(1500  vols.)  of  F.  L.  A.  Pioche,  another  San  Francisco 
banker.  This  embraced  some  art  books  of  high  value  (like 
the  Louvre  gallery),  and  choice  editions  of  French  authors 
in  Parisian  bindings,  prized  by  book  lovers.  William 
Sharon  in  the  same  year  presented  extensive  bound  files  of 
newspapers  of  great  historic  worth. 

With  the  removal  of  the  University  to  Berkeley  in  the 
summer  of  1873  the  library  was  newly  located  in  the  north 
end  of  South  Hall,  and  ever  and  anon  it  was  disinfected 
up  to  modern  standards  of  sanitation  by  the  chlorine  vapors 
generously  flowing  from  the  chemical  laboratory  at  the 
other  end  of  the  hall.  With  its  handsome  walnut  book- 
cases, a  few  paintings  and  the  five  bronzes  by  Barbedienne 
(given  by  Charles  Mayne),  the  large  room  presented  a  very 
attractive  appearance. 


14 


In  1875  the  medical  library  of  Dr.  Victor  Fourgeaud 
was  presented  by  his  widow  and  daughter. 

Our  quarters  rapidly  became  too  small,  and  in  1876 
Henry  Douglass  Bacon,  a  resident  of  Oakland,  offered 
$25,000  toward  the  erection  of  a  library  building,  pro- 
vided the  state  would  give  an  equal  amount.  The  legis- 
lature of  1878  ordered  the  appropriation,  and  the  Bacon 
building,  designed  by  Architect  John  A.  Remer,  was  ready 
for  occupancy  in  the  summer  of  1881. 

In  1881-82  library  accessions  numbered  3724  bound 
volumes,  exceeding  by  257  the  combined  receipts  of  the 
preceding  five  lean  years.  This  is  explained  partly  by  the 
fact  that  the  first  library  endowment — $50,000  received 
July  2,  1879,  by  bequest  of  Michael  Reese,  had  come  into 
bearing.  Since  the  beginning,  by  wise  resolution  of  the 
Regents,  only  the  interest  of  this  endowment  has  been  ex- 
pended, and  this  interest  up  to  June  30,  1911,  totaled  $99,- 
269.80,  every  dollar  going  into  books  according  to  the  terms 
of  the  bequest.  A  splendid  fruitage,  and  the  principal  sum, 
intact,  continues  to  yield  its  increase ! 

Mr.  Bacon  not  only  gave  money,  but,  with  unexampled 
generosity,  in  his  own  lifetime  he  stripped  his  residence 
of  paintings  and  statuary  and  sent  them  to  the  University, 
together  with  his  private  library  (1410  volumes)  of  choicest 
books,  mostly  in  fine  bindings  by  Bedford,  Riviere,  Hayday, 
and  Clark  (of  Edinburgh). 

For  furnishing  the  new  building  the  legislature  of  1881 
appropriated  $10,000. 

The  graduating  class  of  1883  purchased  for  the  library 
about  three  score  of  very  desirable  books,  having  them 
bound  in  morocco  of  the  class  color.  This  exemplary  action 
has  been  followed  by  other  classes,  and  several  small  en- 
dowments for  library  purposes  have  been  made  by  1874, 
1885,  1897,  1900,  1902  and  1907. 

In  1883,  by  courtesy  of  Congressman  James  H.  Budd, 
the  library  was  made  a  depositary  for  all  United  States 
public  documents. 


15 


In  1884  a  German  Library  fund  of  over  $2,000  was 
contributed  by  friends  of  the  institution  at  the  instance 
of  Professor  Albin  Putzker. 

The  first  bequest  by  any  alumnus  of  this  University  was 
that  by  Frank  W.  Maher,  '78,  who  gave  his  working  col- 
lection of  Civil  Engineering  books. 

In  1885  the  legislature  appropriated  $10,000  for  books 
for  the  library. 

Mr.  Andrew  Smith  Hallidie  presented  some  600  volumes 
of  17th  and  18th  century  literature,  largely  theological.  Mr. 
Hallidie  and  John  W.  Dwinelle  were  pioneer  colleagues  on 
the  Board  of  Regents  and  in  earlier  years  both  aided  the 
library  in  many  practical  ways. 

In  1887  was  passed  the  first  legislative  act  creating  a 
state  university  fund  from  the  proceeds  of  a  one  cent  tax 
upon  each  one  hundred  dollars  of  taxable  property  in  Cali- 
fornia. As  books  were  not  considered  legally  to  be  "  per- 
manent improvements"  the  library  did  not  directly  bene- 
fit— except  in  1905-08  when  a  contrary  opinion  prevailed 
and  $15,000  were  set  aside  for  books  from  the  building 
fund,  but  other  pressing  needs  of  the  institution  were 
thereby  met,  and  the  Regents  found  more  moneys  in  the 
general  fund  available  for  library  use. 

For  some  years  the  library  afforded  cellar  space  for  use 
of  the  Viticultural  department  of  the  university.  Such 
combination  of  books  and  bottles  is  probably  unique  in  the 
history  of  college  libraries.  About  1890  exigencies  of  space 
compelled  the  removal  of  casks  and  cobwebs.  The  spiritual 
atmosphere  in  a  measure  was  retained,  however,  by  shelv- 
ing there  our  agricultural  and  vinicultural  books. 

In  1893  the  classification  scheme  of  the  library  was  fin- 
ished in  its  preliminary  form  and  applied  in  the  marking 
and  arrangement  of  books. 

In  1893  the  first  two  of  the  University's  present  exten- 
sive series  of  publications — namely  Geology  and  Educa- 
tion— began  to  appear,  antedating  all  the  rest  by  ten  or 
more  years.  As  early  as  1884  systematic  effort  had  begun 


16 


to  be  made  by  the  library  to  inaugurate  exchange  with  his- 
torical and  other  societies  and  foreign  universities.  These 
publications  afforded  a  new  basis  for  exchange,  and  hence- 
forth applications  met  with  more  generally  favorable  re- 
sponse. 

In  1894  the  valued  auxiliary  services  of  interlibrary 
loans  of  books,  first  advocated  by  this  library  in  1886,  was 
authorized  in  a  limited  measure,  and  was  fully  adopted  in 
1898. 

In  1894  also  Mary  Jucksch  deeded  to  the  University  a 
lot  in  West  Berkeley,  which,  combined  with  her  later  gifts 
in  1896  and  1901,  covers  more  than  an  acre  of  land.  While 
the  present  annual  income  is  small,  its  cumulative  result  is 
large. 

Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Walsworth  in  1895  presented  1410  vol- 
umes. An  auspicious  begining  of  our  separate  collection 
of  published  writings  by  California  Authors  was  made  by 
the  gift  of  300  volumes,  being  the  California  Women's  Lit- 
erary Exhibit  at  the  Chicago  Exposition. 

In  1896  evening  opening  of  the  library  was  inaugurated 
during  the  last  two  months  of  the  spring  term.  The  initial 
expense  ($1000)  for  fixtures  and  installation  was  borne  by 
Levi  Strauss,  Louis  Sloss,  J.  L.  Flood  and  G.  W.  McNear. 
After  a  discontinuance  for  one  year,  regular  evening  ser- 
vice was  resumed  without  further  interruption  except  for 
a  few  months  in  1911  upon  the  first  occupancy  of  the  Doe 
building. 

The  State  Viticultural  Commission's  library  was  incor- 
porated, and  in  1902,  the  California  Winemaker's  Corpora- 
tion collection  of  230  volumes  was  added,  so  that  the  Uni- 
versity's collection  of  books  on  grape  culture  and  wine 
making  has  become  probably  the  best  in  America. 

Valuable  sets  of  law  reports  and  digests  (402  volumes) 
were  presented  by  alumni  and  the  Bancroft- Whitney  Com- 
pany. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Hon.  T.  F.  Bayard,  the  British  Gov- 
ernment presented  the  costly  set  of  the  scientific  results 
of  the  voyage  of  the  Challenger. 


17 

In  1897  the  Semitic  department  was  given  a  big  start 
by  donations  from  Louis  Sloss  and  Alfred  Greenebaum. 
Later  gifts  by  the  Congregation  Emanu-El  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  noteworthy  Jacob  Voorsanger  gift  in  1906,  and 
our  own  purchases,  have  made  the  aggregation  fairly  repre- 
sentative. 

The  Robert  E.  Cowan  collection  of  California  (820  vol- 
umes, 3000  pamphlets,  and  hundreds  of  manuscripts)  was 
added  by  the  generosity  of  Collis  P.  Huntington. 

James  K.  Moffitt,  '86,  made  the  first  of  his  many  gifts 
of  money  for  books.  Up  to  June  30,  1911,  1931  volumes 
have  been  received  through  his  continued  kindness. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Avery  gave  over  300  volumes  from  the 
library  of  Benjamin  Parke  Avery,  truly  indicative  of  the 
liberal  culture  and  artistic  aspirations  of  this  beloved  Cali- 
fornian. 

In  1899,  by  bequest  of  Professor  George  Morey  Richard- 
son, 1,018  scholarly  works  were  received. 

Mrs.  Phoebe  A.  Hearst  presented  fifty  or  more  costly 
works  on  Architecture,  with  gifts  in  later  years  of  at  least 
500  other  volumes  of  similar  character,  and  a  magnificent 
copy  of  Piranesi — the  chief  among  our  many  treasures. 

President  Wheeler's  advent  in  the  fall  of  1899  signalized 
greater  activity  in  library  affairs.  In  every  possible  way 
he  called  attention  to  the  inadequacy  of  our  collection,  and 
the  building  in  which  it  was  housed,  to  the  needs  of  a 
great  university.  The  stream  of  individual  gifts,  which 
had  been  growing  during  the  latter  part  of  this  decade, 
swelled  to  a  much  larger  flow  immediately.  His  first  public 
utterance  (Oct.  26,  1899),  elicited  a  response  from  Regent 
E.  A.  Denicke,  who  gave  $1000  as  a  fund  for  books,  which 
he  supplemented  with  annual  gifts,  and  to  which  Mrs. 
Denicke  added  (Oct.,  1911),  the  further  sum  of  $1000. 

In  1901  a  library  committee  of  the  graduate  council  was 
appointed  to  advise  and  collaborate  with  the  librarian  in 
matters  of  policy  and  particularly  as  to  expenditures  of 
funds,  which  were  then  increased  by  appropriation  of 
much  greater  amounts  from  the  treasury  of  the  university. 


18 

The  first  purchases  of  books  with  the  Jane  Krom  Sather 
endowment  were  made  this  year,  and  in  the  following  year 
2130  volumes  of  law  reports  and  text  books  came  as  an 
extra  gift  from  her. 

Mrs.  Martha  E.  Hallidie  presented  the  library  (2,500 
vols.)  of  the  late  Regent  Hallidie,  rich  in  technological 
literature. 

In  1902  the  extensive  biological  and  geological  collection 
of  the  revered  Joseph  Le  Conte  was  given  by  Mrs.  Le 
Conte. 

To  our  small  collection  of  manuscripts — which  form  a 
conspicuous  and  sometimes  all-important  part  of  European 
libraries — Mrs.  Hearst  gave  several  beautiful  specimens. 
The  first  we  ever  received  were  two  curious  Siamese  mss. 
given  in  1887  by  Prof.  C.  B.  Bradley. 

Our  first  summer  school  of  Library  Economy  was  held 
in  1902,  the  second  and  third  occurring  in  1906  and  1907. 
These  opportunities  for  technical  instruction  have  been 
eagerly  embraced,  and  many  of  the  students  now  hold 
important  positions  in  the  library  field  in  this  state. 

In  1902  also  were  received  from  Glaus  Spreckels  $11,- 
675  for  books  in  history,  politics  and  economics;  and  from 
Mrs.  Ethel  W.  Crocker,  $2,500  for  the  beginning  of  a 
physiological  library,  supplemented  with  later  gifts — $1000 
in  1905  and  $1000  in  1911. 

In  1903  the  Phoebe  A.  Hearst  Architectural  Plan,  as 
modified  by  Professor  John  Galen  Howard,  was  finally 
approved  and  accepted  by  the  Regents. 

An  extensive  addition  to  the  Bacon  Building  was  com- 
pleted, providing  storage  space  for  80,000  more  books,  and 
six  seminary  rooms  for  graduate  work. 

The  change  of  the  catalog  to  one  of  ''standard"  size 
was  begun,  but  was  not  finished  until  1908. 

The  bequest  in  1904  by  Charles  Franklin  Doe  of  twenty- 
four  per  cent  of  his  entire  estate,  being  $595,492.99,  with 
income  later  derived  from  the  same  amounting  (Dec.  31, 
1911),  to  $148,957.91,  constitutes  the  most  important  event 
in  the  entire  history  of  the  library. 


19 

In  1905  we  received  the  Karl  Weinhold  library  of  Ger- 
manic linguistics,  folklore,  and  literature  purchased  for  us 
by  John  D.  Spreckels  at  a  cost  of  $7,000. 

The  collection  of  volumes  on  Italian  history  and  litera- 
ture formed  by  the  lamented  Marius  J.  Spinello  (1100  vol- 
umes), was  presented  by  his  numerous  friends. 

The  earthquake  year  1906  is  memorable  for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  H.  H.  Bancroft  library  of  Californian  and  West 
American  history. 

The  conflagration  in  San  Francisco  swept  out  of  exist- 
ence the  valuable  library  in  the  Mark  Hopkins  Institute 
of  Art,  a  shipment  of  books  lying  in  the  customs  ware- 
house, and  over  1000  volumes  in  the  bindery. 

In  this  period  of  distress  our  book  and  map  collections 
were  of  great  assistance  to  the  people  of  the  stricken  city 
across  the  bay,  and  Sunday  opening  was  inaugurated. 

In  1907  the  important  botanical  collection  presented  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  S.  Brandegee  was  installed  as  a  depart- 
mental working  library. 

Mrs.  Gertrude  Atherton  gave  the  great  Russian  en- 
cyclopedia in  85  volumes. 

In  1908  the  University's  own  bookbindery  began  opera- 
tions. The  corner  stone  of  the  Doe  building  was  laid  with 
appropriate  simple  ceremony  on  Thanksgiving  Day. 

Hon.  Lucien  Shaw  of  the  supreme  bench  commenced 
sending  for  preservation  here  his  personal  set  of  briefs  and 
transcripts  of  cases  since  April,  1906.  Many  thousands  of 
these  valued  legal  documents  already  have  been  received. 

In  1909  the  friends  of  Mary  Lake  gave  $665  for  the  pur- 
chase of  modern  English  literature  as  a  memorial  to  this 
veteran  educator. 

In  1910  Archer  M.  Huntington,  through  the  Hispanic 
society  of  New  York,  gave  a  complete  set  of  his  facsimile 
reprints  of  rare  manuscripts  and  editions. 

In  1911  Eugene  Meyer,  Jr.,  of  New  York,  a  former 
student  at  Berkeley,  gave  $2000,  the  income  of  which  is 
to  be  devoted  to  the  purchase  of  historical  books. 


20 


In  February  the  law  books  were  moved  to  Boalt  Hall, 
and  within  ten  days  in  May  and  June  the  remaining  por- 
tion of  the  library  (200,000  volumes)  was  installed  in  the 
splendid  building  which  is  to  be  its  permanent  home.  A 
detailed  description  of  the  removal,  written  by  Mr.  Leupp, 
was  published  in  the  September,  1911,  Library  Journal. 

The  year  closed  with  a  valuable  gift  by  Mrs.  James  L. 
de  Fremery  of  over  500  volumes — most  17th  and  18th  cen- 
tury books  of  Dutch  history,  numismatics,  and  heraldry. 

In  this  brief  summary  obviously  it  is  possible  to  enu- 
merate only  the  strikingly  important  accessions.  Single 
works  of  considerable  value,  like  the  facsimile  of  the  Dev- 
onshire Shakespeare,  the  Avifauna  of  Laysan,  the  Bishop 
Jade  Catalogue,  the  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  Catalogues,  have 
come  to  us  at  intervals.  It  takes  all  sizes  of  stones  to  build 
a  library.  Many  a  widow's  mite,  many  a  poor  author's 
firstling,  has  been  given,  with  the  same  affectionate  regard 
as  may  characterize  a  large  bequest. 

At  first  the  library  was  chiefly  used  for  reference  only, 
but  the  privileges  of  circulation  were  extended  after  1882 
to  students  as  well  as  to  instructors. 

With  regard  to  expenditures  for  books  it  can  be  truly 
said  that  from  the  beginning  the  effort  has  been  to  provide 
a  library  for  the  use  of  scholars  primarily.  Periodical  sets, 
publications  of  learned  societies,  and  books  of  permanent 
worth,  have  been  carefully  chosen,  in  preference  to  the 
merely  interesting  books  of  the  hour,  for  which  we  can 
afford  to  wait  until  some  later  day's  tide  may  bring  them 
drifting  to  our  shore. 

The  growth  of  the  library  is  indicated  by  the  following 
table : 


21 


Year's 

Total  in 

Year 

Purchase 

Gift 

Exchange 

total 

library 

Library 

staff 

11,919* 

1875-76 

1,563 

116 

4 

1,683 

13,602 

Librarian 

1876-77 

66 

673 

2 

741 

14,343 

Librarian 

1877-78 

293 

140 

2 

435 

14,778 

Librarian 

1878-79 

989 

414 

2 

1,405 

16,183 

Librarian 

1879-80 

9 

146 

155 

16,338 

Librarian 

1880-81 

512 

219 

731 

17,069 

Librarian 

1881-82 

2,016 

1,704 

4 

3,724 

20,793 

Librarian 

1  janitor  asst. 

1883-84 

1,684 

773 

2,457 

25,119 

Librarian 

2  janitor  assts. 

1884-85 

1,792 

531 

2 

2,325 

27,444 

Librarian 

2  janitor  assts. 

1885-86 

3,373 

1,156 

4,501 

31,945 

Librarian 

2  janitor  assts. 

1886-87 

2,612 

389 

3,001 

34,946 

Librarian 

1  assistantf 

1887-88 

1,749 

536 

2,285 

37,231 

Librarian 

1  assistant 

1888-89 

1,432 

484 

1,916 

39,147 

Librarian 

1  assistant 

1889-90 

1,329 

876 

2,205 

41,352 

Librarian 

1  assistant 

1890-91 

1,913 

671 

39 

2,623 

43,975 

Librarian 

1  assistant 

1891-92 

3,831 

512 

4,343 

48,318 

Librarian 

1  assistant 

1892-93 

2,775 

1,248 

12 

4,035 

52,353 

Librarian 

2  assistants 

1893-94 

2,668 

790 

4 

3,462 

55,815 

Librarian 

2  assistants 

1894-95 

1,847 

2,778 

59 

4,684 

60,499 

Librarian 

2  assistants 

1895-96 

1,130 

1,870 

2 

3,002 

63,501 

Librarian 

2  assistants 

1896-97 

1,889 

1,392 

5 

3,286 

66,787 

Librarian 

2  assistants 

1897-98 

2,491 

2,713 

5,204 

71,991 

Librarian 

3  assistants 

1898-99 

2,218 

2,711 

7 

4,936 

76,927 

Librarian 

4  assistants 

1899-1900 

1,728 

1,529 

65 

3,322 

80,249 

Librarian 

4  assistants 

1900-01 

2,387 

1,981 

38 

4,406 

84,655 

Librarian 

4  assistants 

1901-02 

8,771 

2,365 

47 

11,183 

95,838 

Librarian 

6  assistants 

1902-03 

8,749 

2,940 

101 

11,790 

107,628 

Librarian 

8  assistants 

1903-04 

11,640 

2,835 

8 

14,483 

122,111 

Librarian 

11  assistants 

1904-05 

8,072 

3,594 

2 

11,668 

133,779 

Librarian 

11  assistants 

1905-06 

6,568 

4,342 

10,910 

144,689 

Librarian 

12  assistants 

1906-07 

6,071 

5,078 

11,149 

155,838 

Librarian 

13  assistants 

1907-08 

6,987 

4,518 

J397 

11,902 

167,740 

Librarian 

14  assistants 

1908-09 

8,978 

3,922 

1,094 

13,994 

181,734 

Librarian 

14  assistants 

1909-10 

10,583 

3,906 

2,008 

16,497 

198,231 

Librarian 

14  assistants 

1910-11 

9,947 

2,617 

1,550 

14,114 

212,345 

Librarian,    As.  libr.,  21  assts. 

Totals 
June 

30,   1911 

132,090 

62,880 

5,456 

212,345 

*  Received   prior   to    1875. 

•j-  From    1886    onward    there    have    been    student    assistants    in    addition    to    the    regular 
appointees  by  the  Board  of  Regents. 

|  Prior  to  1908  books  received  from  exchange  institutions  are  entered  in  the  gift  column. 


It  is  interesting  to  note  that  nearly  one-third  of  the 
library  has  acumulated  by  gift  and  exchange. 


DEDICATION   OF   THE   DOE   LIBRARY  BUILDING 


ADDRESS   OF   THE   LIBRARIAN    OF   THE   UNIVERSITY   OF    CALIFORNIA, 
JOSEPH  C.  BOWELL 

As  we  look  backward  from  the  height  of  present  achieve- 
ment, down  the  long  vista  of  years,  the  beginnings  of  the 
University  appear  very  small.  It  was  a  university  only  in 
name.  Yet  although  merely  a  handful  of  teachers  and  stu- 
dents was  visible,  we  perceive  they  were  inspired  with 
energy  and  enthusiasm; — while  the  courses  of  study  were 
few,  they  were  taught  intensively ; — and  while  the  treasury 
was  light  of  dollars,  there  was  a  wealth  of  aspiration, 
courage  and  hope. 

Thus  the  good  seed  was  sown  in  a  favorable  season;  the 
vigorous  young  plant  was  tenderly  and  wisely  nurtured; 
and  it  proved  to  be  not  an  exotic,  soon  to  fade,  but  a  hardy 
perennial,  from  which  many  a  rich  harvest  already  has 
been  garnered. 

The  fortunes  of  the  library  inseparably  followed  those 
of  the  University.  Up  under  the  eaves  of  Brayton  Hall 
(Oakland)  were  arranged  some  few  hundreds  of  books  on 
history,  literature  and  philosophy,  together  with  well 
thumbed  classics,  and  dust  lay  deep  on  theological  and 
scientific  treatises  of  honorably  ancient  dates. 

How  the  aspect  of  the  place  brightened  when  in  1871 
a  large  gift  of  modern  books  arrived,  brilliant  in  gilded  calf, 
fresh  from  the  publishers!  Then  students  abandoned  the 
chess  table  and  climbed  upward  to  consult  the  eighth  edi- 
tion of  the  Britannica,  to  open  dainty  volumes  of  the  poets, 


to  lay  the  foundations  of  an  essay  on  Emerson,  or  to  spend 
an  indolent,  happy  hour  over  Bulwer  or  Thackeray. 

In  1873  Berkeley  became  a  seat  of  learning.  The  hand- 
some book-cases  of  the  library  in  South  Hall  were  at  once 
comfortably  filled,  as  in  that  same  significant  year  were 
added  the  Pioche  French  library,  the  Francis  Lieber  pol- 
itico-economic collection  and  a  host  of  new  books  bought 
with  the  first  legislative  appropriation  for  that  purpose. 

Mark  well  the  J-ater  sequence  of  events.  Our  quarters 
rapidly  became  so  scant  that  in  1876  Henry  Douglass  Bacon 
was  inspired  to  offer  $25,000  toward  the  erection  of  a 
separate  library  edifice.  The  State  of  California  in  1878 
added  $25,000  to  this  gift,  and  the  Bacon  building  was  com- 
pleted in  1881,  just  in  time  to  house  the  books  acquired  by 
the  first  endowment  bequeathed  in  1879  by  Michael  Reese. 

A  score  of  years  followed,  lean  and  fat,  until  the  full 
capacity  of  the  Bacon  building  became  a  definitely  ascer- 
tained quantity.  Books  filled  all  available  space  from  cel- 
lar to  roof -tree ;  readers  sought  in  vain  for  a  seat  or  a  quiet 
corner. 

In  1899  a  new  President  was  installed.  From  his  first 
appearance  he  urgently  voiced  the  utter  inadequacy  of  the 
library,  books  and  building  alike,  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  a  true  university.  The  response  to  his  appeals  was  im- 
mediate, generous  and  continued.  The  famine  of  books  was 
partially  abated. 

In  1902  an  extension  to  the  building  was  constructed  to 
afford  a  temporary  relief.  In  1903  the  revised  Phoebe  A. 
Hearst  Architectural  Plan  was  adopted  and  this  most  ap- 
propriate spot  on  the  campus  thereby  was  designated  for 
the  permanent  library  site. 

In  1904  a  good  man  passed  away.  His  munificent  be- 
quest has  provided  an  ample  and  suitable  building  upon 
that  site. 

Verily,  from  even  this  brief  retrospect  it  would  seem 
that  the  mighty  hand  of  a  kind  Providence  repeatedly  has 
been  outstretched  in  our  behalf. 


26 


University  did  not  cease  with  Le  Conte.  But  there  is  also 
the  influence  of  books.  And  an  intimacy  even  with  a  few 
books,  if  the  right  books,  as  with  a  few  men,  if  the  right 
men,  may  go  far.  It  may  go  far  even  in  the  making  of 
philosophers.  And  the  testimony  of  one  such  is  suggestive. 
He  entered  the  University  as  a  Freshman  in  1871. 

"I  remember  well,"  he  remarked  here  thirty  years 
later,  "I  remember  well  the  little  library,  hidden  away 
in  the  top  story  of  the  old  Bray  ton  Hall  in  Oakland — ill 
accessible,  almost  wholly  uncatalogued,  hastily  ordered. 
And  yet  what  wonders  that  little  library  already  con- 
tained! One  of  my  teachers  early  told  me  that  if  I  chose, 
I  could  make  that  library  more  useful  for  my  progress  as 
a  student  than  my  class-room  work  ever  could  become.  I 
was  impressed  by  the  advice.  I  tried  to  follow  it.  As  a 
result,  I  spent  in  the  ill-lighted  alcoves  of  that  garret  in 
Brayton  Hall  some  of  the  most  inspiring  hours  of  my  life. 
There  are  books  still  on  the  shelves  of  our  University 
Library  here  which  I  can  look  upon  as  amongst  the  dearest 
friends  of  my  youth.  Under  the  influence  of  my  teacher's 
counsel,  I  sought  for  these  books,  I  found  them  and  I  found 
in  them  what  I  shall  never  forget  while  I  have  any  power 
to  study  left  in  me. ' ' 

One  may  not  ignore,  one  would  not  disparage  such  testi- 
mony to  the  enduring  stimulus  of  a  few  books,  in  contact 
with  a  sensitive  nature  such  as  Josiah  Royce's.  But  this 
is  not  to  say  that  Mr.  Royce  would  not  have  found  superior 
the  opportunity  presented  to  the  student  of  to-day  in  the 
building  and  collections  before  you ;  nor  that  he  would  have 
failed  to  glory  in  them.  Potent  as  may  be  the  influence  of 
a  few  books  absorbed  or  mastered,  the  lesson  of  a  compre- 
hensive collection,  organized  and  equipped  for  a  multi- 
farious service  to  a  great  community,  has  a  potency  of 
its  own.  Is  there  any  agency  of  the  university — not  per- 
sonal— which  can  contribute  more  to  achieve  the  aim  which 
a  high  authority  has  defined  as  the  proper  aim  of  a  univer- 
sity; "to  make  a  gentleman  of  every  youth  under  its 


27 


charge;  not  a  conventional  gentleman  but  a  man  of  cul- 
ture, a  man  of  intellectual  resource,  a  man  of  public  spirit, 
a  man  of  refinement,  with  that  good  taste  which  is  the  con- 
science of  the  mind,  and  that  conscience  which  is  the  good 
taste  of  the  soul!" 

And  finally,  no  agency  concerned  with  the  general  wel- 
fare, and  the  government  is  such  a  one,  can  be  indifferent 
to  the  example  which  this  building  presents  of  a  private 
gift  for  public  uses.  A  foreign  observer  once  remarked  that 
abroad  men  found  families;  in  America  they  found,  or 
endow,  libraries  or  universities.  The  family  often  falls 
away  to  shame;  but  the  library  or  university  remains  for- 
ever a  noble  and  unsullied  memorial.  Happy  the  country 
which  profits  by  this  contrast.  Happy  this  University  which 
affords  such  evidence  of  its  justice.  Prosperity  to  this 
latest  evidence !  And  as  this  building  stands  now  noble 
and  unsullied,  may  it  continue  for  generations  of  pene- 
trating, pervasive,  veritably  public  service  to  student,  to 
faculty,  to  the  state,  to  our  common  country,  and,  through 
its  fair  example,  to  the  common  problems  of  all  mankind. 


ADDRESS  BY  LORING  B.  DOE 

President  Wheeler,  members  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
University  of  California,  ladies  and  gentlemen: 

This  structure  which  we  dedicate  to-day  is  eloquent 
testimony  of  the  appreciation  by  a  self-made  man  of  the 
value  of  a  library  to  the  moral  and  intellectual  progress 
of  civilization.  Denied  through  stress  of  circumstances 
a  university  education,  the  donor,  Charles  Franklin  Doe, 
became  accomplished  in  literature  and  science  through  his 
acquaintance  with  books. 

He  loved  books  as  few  men  do,  and  delighted  in  their 
companionship.  Books  were  his  inseparable  friends,  and 
through  reading  he  was  able  to  store  in  the  archives  of  his 
memory  a  fund  of  information  that  made  him  a  desirable 


28 


companion.  Wishing  to  leave  something  of  value  to  pos- 
terity, what  was  more  natural  than  that  his  inclination 
should  trend  in  the  direction  of  a  library  structure  which 
we  all  hope  will  some  day  house  the  finest  collection  of 
books  and  manuscripts  in  the  United  States.  I  know  that 
this  was  his  ambition. 

I  know  he  wanted  to  provide  a  structure  which  would 
eventually  become  the  intellectual  center  of  this  Univer- 
sity which  he  believed  was  destined  to  be  one  of  the 
greatest  seats  of  learning  in  the  world ;  and  I  am  sure  that 
were  he  here  to  witness  this  dedication  he  would  pronounce 
the  work  well  done,  for  had  he  personally  directed  the 
efforts  that  resulted  in  this  magnificent  building  he  could 
not  have  had  his  wishes  fulfilled  more  perfectly. 

There  is  little  that  I  need  say  concerning  the  advan- 
tages of  a  library  in  the  development  of  civilization.  Only 
a  small  percentage  are  given  the  privilege  of  a  university 
education,  but  in  this  enlightened  age  none  are  denied  the 
information  and  instruction  that  come  from  the  perusal 
of  books.  Every  university  professor,  every  college  student 
knows  the  benefit,  the  inestimable  benefit,  of  such  a  library 
as  we  are  dedicating  to-day.  Within  these  walls  will  be 
assembled  the  collective  wit,  wisdom  and  learning  of  the 
world,  for  I  am  sure  that  the  Regents  and  Faculty  will  not 
desist  until  this  library  is  representative  of  the  literature 
of  all  ages  and  all  peoples.  This  building  will  stand  for 
ages  and  will  be  the  storehouse  from  which  literary  gems 
will  be  garnered  by  future  generations  privileged  to  attend 
this  University.  It  will  be  a  greater  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  California  and  the  Pacific  Coast  than  the  most  far 
seeing  of  us  can  now  perceive.  The  great  intellects  of  the 
future  will  center  here,  and  will  be  the  means  of  drawing 
the  best  and  noblest  of  the  improved  civilization  that  is  to 
follow  us. 

I  am  proud  to  have  known  the  donor  of  this  magnificent 
structure.  His  life  was  an  inspiration  to  all  who  came  in 
contact  with  him.  He  was  the  embodiment  of  honor  and 


29 


integrity,  and  every  dollar  invested  in  this  building  was 
honestly  acquired.  His  character  was  without  blemish, 
and  he  carried  to  the  grave  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  who 
knew  him. 

Coming  from  his  New  England  home  in  the  pioneer 
days  of  California,  he  did  his  part,  a  man's  part,  in  the 
upbuilding  of  this  great  Commonwealth,  and  he  left  as  a 
legacy  a  name  unsullied  and  a  character  that  should  prove 
an  inspiration  to  all  who  take  the  trouble  to  study  it. 

In  behalf  of  the  family,  I  wish  to  express  my  gratitude 
to  the  President  and  Regents  of  the  University  of  Califor- 
nia. When  Charles  Franklin  Doe  made  this  bequest  no 
conditions  were  named.  It  was  a  simple  gift  of  a  certain 
sum  of  money  made  to  the  Regents  for  a  library  building. 
No  bid  for  honor  or  self -glory  could  be  detected  in  his  will 
and  testament.  It  was  a  simple  gift  to  the  children  of 
to-day  and  the  generations  of  to-morrow,  but  your  appre- 
ciation of  the  man  has  prompted  you  to  honor  and  per- 
petuate his  name,  which  you  have  carved  upon  tablets  of 
stone  and  bronze,  that  the  hand  of  time  will  not  efface; 
and  for  this  most  gracious  act  we  thank  you. 

We  ask  you  to  accept  this  library  for  yourselves  and 
for  the  generations  to  follow,  and  in  so  doing  we  know 
that  you  feel  that  Charles  Franklin  Doe  left  the  world 
better  for  having  lived. 


243063 


-r  -M   \  W 

• .  0    >  TV\  k 


~ 


4-v 


